Pension Contribution Dispute Letter: Free Template and What to Include

If you need to dispute incorrect or missing employer pension contributions, a written letter is the recommended first step — it creates a clear record and shows you're pursuing the matter formally. Below is what a strong pension contribution dispute should include.

What this letter needs to cover

• Identify the discrepancy between actual and required employer contributions
• Request a review and calculation of any shortfall
• Ask for the deficit to be paid to the pension provider within 14 days

Checking whether your pension contributions are actually correct

Employer pension contribution errors are more common than you'd expect — often stemming from payroll miscalculating qualifying earnings, applying the wrong contribution percentage, or simply failing to make contributions for a period despite deducting your own share correctly.

What to include before you send it

• The specific period you believe contributions are missing or incorrect
• Your calculation of what should have been contributed, based on your qualifying earnings and the correct percentage
• Evidence — payslips showing your own deductions, and pension statements showing what was actually received
• A request for the shortfall to be corrected and paid

Why checking your actual pension statement matters

Your payslip showing a deduction doesn't guarantee it was actually paid into your pension scheme — checking your pension provider's own statement against what should have been contributed, based on your payslips, is the only way to confirm contributions have genuinely been made correctly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my employer says it's just a payroll system error?
Regardless of the cause, you're still entitled to have the correct contributions made — a system error doesn't remove your employer's obligation to correct it.

What if my employer doesn't resolve this?
You can raise this with the Pensions Regulator, who has enforcement powers over employer pension duties, including contribution failures.

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Postcode]
[Your Phone Number]
[Your Email Address]
[Name of HR Manager / Payroll]
[Company Name]
[Company Address]
[Company Postcode]
[Date]

Dear [Name],

Subject: Missing or incorrect pension contributions

I believe the employer contributions to my workplace pension are wrong.

For [period, e.g. April to September 2026]:
• Employer contribution that should have been paid: £[amount] ([percentage]% of my qualifying earnings).
• Employer contribution actually received by the scheme: £[amount], according to my pension statement.
• [Optional: My own contributions were taken from my pay, as my payslips show, but [were / were not] paid in.]

Please:
• check my contributions and send me your calculation of any shortfall; and
• pay any shortfall to the pension provider within 14 days.

I enclose [payslips / pension statements].

Yours sincerely,

[Your Signature]
[Your Printed Name]